The Yankees did not offer salary arbitration to Andy Pettitte, Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui — as well as free agents Jerry Hairston Jr., Eric Hinske, Jose Molina and Xavier Nady — so they will not get any compensatory draft picks if they sign with another team.

Had the Yankees wanted to pay a lot of money to retain Andy Pettitte, Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui they would have offered the trio of free agents arbitration yesterday.

Instead, the Yankees didn’t offer any of them and won’t receive draft picks from a team that signs Pettitte, Damon or Matsui if they leave the World Series champions.

“Too risky,” a Yankee source said of chancing any of the trio accepting.

If accepted, that player would have been considered a signed player with his salary to be determined by the arbitration process.

Damon and Matsui each made $13 million last year and would have been in for a raise, and the Yankees don’t want to spend that type of money on them. Pettitte made $5.5 million last year in base salary (and another $5 million in incentives), but $32 million the previous two seasons and would have been looking at a big raise, too.

Yesterday’s decision doesn’t mean the Yankees can’t continue to negotiate with the free agents. It means that if any of the trio signs with another team, the Yankees won’t get a compensatory draft pick.

Had they offered arbitration and the players left, the Yankees would have gotten a draft pick from the team signing them.

Knowing Matsui and Damon combined for 52 homers from the left side, the Yankees understand how valuable they were. It’s not out of the question they will offer one-year deals, but it’s also possible they won’t.

Arn Tellem, Matsui’s agent, didn’t read much into it.

“It only means they aren’t going to offer arbitration,” Tellem said.

Damon, who is looking for a multi-year contract, can play the outfield, something Matsui didn’t do for an inning last season because Joe Girardi smartly wanted to avoid Matsui’s surgically repaired knees from hindering him at the plate as the designated hitter.

With a year away from the outfield and surgery, it’s possible Matsui could return there but not likely on a full-time basis.

On the Roy Halladay front, the Yankees didn’t place much stock in the pitcher’s agent informing the Blue Jays if they are going to trade him that he wants it done before spring training or not at all.

“There are a lot of questions,” a Yankees source said. “Does he want an extension; doesn’t he want an extension. One means players and money, the other means prospects for a guy for one year.”

Blue Jays president and CEO Paul Beeston and GM Alex Anthopoulos declined comment on Halladay’s request and what it means to their efforts to trade arguably the best pitcher in baseball.